Social media posts misidentify Thai princess as concubine from popular ethnic folklore

"The pitiful life of Naw Mu Ye Peh who became a Thai royal concubine," read the title of a lengthy Burmese-language Facebook post published on September 26, 2024. It has since been shared more than 5,000 times.

The English-language text at the bottom of the black and white photo read: "This is the picture of our karen beautiful Queen Naw Mu Yeh Peh !!!!!"

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Screenshot of the false post

The post largely recounted the story of Mu Yeh Peh, a popular tale among the Karen people who live in Myanmar and Thailand (archived links here and here).

According to folklore, she was a Karen woman taken to be the Thai king's concubine, before she was sacrificed in a ritual to bring prosperity to her people and Thailand.

The photo was shared with a similar claim on Facebook in 2024 here, here, and previously in 2022.

However, the claim is false. The woman in the photo is Princess Chao Chom Sadab -- a royal consort to King Chulalongkorn of Thailand (archived link).

Thai royal consort

Reverse image and keyword searches on Google found the same image in a book published in 1983 as a tribute to the princess who died that year (archived link).

The book is titled "Funeral Memorial (Chao Chom Sadab)" and was commissioned by Thailand's King Bhumibol.

"Book of remembrance, given by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the cremation ceremony of Chao Chom Mom Rajawongse Sadab, King Rama V's consort at Wat Debsirin on Saturday, December 24, 1983," the cover of the book reads.

The black and white photo -- which was taken in 1907 -- can be seen on page 45 of the book.

The Thai-language caption reads: "[Chao Chom Mom Rajawongse Sadab] sits on a chair with the royal coat of arms -- reserved for queen consorts, princes, and princesses -- during a royal ceremony."

Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo seen in the false post (left) and in the book (right):

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Screenshot comparison of the photo from the false post (left) to the photo on the funeral book (right)

According to an article in the Bangkok Post on January 3, 2012, the princess was the last consort of King Rama V and was 16 when he died in 1910 (archived link).

Tongthong Chandransu, an academic at Chulalongkorn University with expertise in Thai history and royal ceremonies, told AFP on October 10, 2024 the photo shows Chao Chom Sadab, not Mu Yeh Peh (archived link).

Tongthong also told AFP that he met the princess in 1982 -- before she died the following year.